Cl PA Lose Again!

Orange Picking Boycott Fails

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, April 8.

WHEN the tumult connected with the Cook Islands Progressive Associa tion’s abortive attempt to hold up shipping had died away in March, main talk of the island preceding the arrival of the “Maui Pomare” was the CIPA plan to boycott the vessel by refusing to pick oranges.

As was expected, this did harm to no one but CIPA followers, for the available space was easily filled by non-CiPA growers. A few growers who belong to the CIPA quietly went ahead and picked, in spite of orders not to do so.

It is said that CIPA leaders told their people that Mr. Albert Henry had gone to Auckland to get the “Maui Pomare” declared “black” and that those shipping fruit would be caught in a wasted ship ment. (Henry left by plane for Auckland a day before the “Maui Pomare” arrived.) With the arrival of the “Maui Pomare” on March 26, the CIPA again tried some thing new in surprise tactics.

The arrival date was Good Friday so the ship was not to be worked until Saturday morning. On Friday evening the Union Steam Ship Co., posted on their notice board a list of workers. As on previous occasions, about two thirds of the names were those of CIPA men.

The remainder were members of the Workers’ Union.

Whereas on previous occasions the CIPA men had refused to answer their names, now when it came time to start work on the Saturday morning, they quietly came forward and signed on.

Then, together with the Union men, they stepped into the lighters and went out to the ship as though intending to start work.

Once aboard the ship however, the CIPA men promptly went on strike and refused to work with the Union men.

Their plan was clear: they hoped to thus gain the sympathy of the ship’s crew, a factor upon which they have counted with some success on previous occasions.

Being already aboard in considerable strength they hoped that pressure might be brought to bear to have the Union minority removed and replaced by a full CIPA working party.

The plan did not succeed.

It seems that this season’s crew for the “Maui Pomare” has been picked with some care. There appeared to be more annoyance than sympathy with the CIPA’s time-wasting trick, and the strikers were forthwith returned to shore.

Their places were filled by more Union waterside-workers and the work of un loading the vessel proceeded without fur ther interference.

Members of, the Workers’ Union are growing impatient at the policy of offer ing the CIPA the greater share of the work, only to have them spurn the opportunity in continued demands for full waterfront control.

This “appeasement,” however, appears to be governmental policy pending fur ther investigations into the Cook Islands problems.

THE “Maui Pomare” completed unload ing and left Rarotonga on Monday March 29, for Atiu, Mauke, and Mangaia to pick up pranges In spite of all previous talk about the boycott of the vessel in the outer islands, fruit picking and loading in the outer islands proceeded without any trouble.

The Resident Commissioner made the round trip. . * On amusing story was told of one of the outer* islands. The local secretary and another leading light of the CIPA had told the people that oranges were not being picked in Rarotonga, and urged them to refrain from picking. But when it came to picking time the people quietly went out and carried on with the job.

When the two CIPA gentlemen dis covered this, they hurried to the office to obtain cargo space for their own produce They were dismayed to find that all available space was already taken.

The work of loading the ship at Raro tonga on its return from the group was carried out by Union labour, without incident.

Some of the NZ policemen returned home on the ‘Maui Pomare,” leaving only six on duty in Rarotonga, including Senior Sergeant W. Brown.

Miss D. Rowlands, after furlough in Victoria, has returned to her work at the Queen Salote College, Tonga.